⚖️ Environmental Compliance Obligations

Every environmental management system stands or falls on knowing — and meeting — its compliance obligations. This course teaches ISO 14001:2015 clause 6.1.3 in practical terms: the difference between "legal requirements" and "other requirements" (the latter includes corporate commitments, customer requirements, industry codes and voluntary certifications), how to build and maintain a compliance register, the common categories of environmental obligation (air permits, water discharge, waste manifests, chemical storage and reporting, environmental impact assessments), the "evaluation of compliance" cycle (clause 9.1.2), and how non-compliance escalates to corrective action (clause 10.2). The course is organized into 6 modules, ending with a final exam (pass mark 80%). It is free awareness-level training designed for anyone who needs a practical, working understanding of the topic.

What you'll learn

• Why compliance obligations are the backbone of an EMS
• Legal requirements vs other requirements (clause 6.1.3)
• Building and maintaining a compliance register
• Common categories of environmental obligation
• The evaluation-of-compliance cycle (clause 9.1.2)
• How non-compliance escalates to corrective action and its consequences

Learning objectives

• Explain what compliance obligations are under ISO 14001:2015 clause 6.1.3
• Distinguish legal requirements from other requirements with examples
• Build a compliance register that captures obligation, source, action and evidence
• Recognise the main categories: air, water, waste, chemicals and impact assessment
• Run a periodic evaluation of compliance and keep the records it requires
• Escalate a non-compliance to corrective action and understand the consequences of failure